Improving Sight with Technology

Technology has infiltrated every aspect of our lives. From the phones we use, to the cars we drive right up to healthcare, technology has been transforming and changing the world. Introduction of improved technology in therapeutic and diagnostic treatment and doctor-patient interaction has revolutionized the way healthcare is being delivered today.

However, until last decade metro cities in India had ample access to new technology, with barely any infiltration in tier 2 and 3 cities. This changed with the entry of single speciality hospitals in the Indian Healthcare system.

Single speciality hospitals have made a huge impact on the delivery of healthcare in the country. They offer end-to-end services and personalized care to single therapeutic areas such as eye-care, cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, urology etc. They are focused in their specialization and hence demonstrate superior performance both therapeutically and financially. A speciality hospital model reduces the cost of hospitalization and provides the best care at the lowest cost, which is why their entry in the tier 2 and 3 cities of India has been successful.

Single speciality hospitals have more flexibility in allocation of their funds. For example some single speciality chains such as eye-care do not require patients to be admitted; hence investment in beds is limited. Therefore the funds can be optimally utilized in bringing superior technology to the patients and improving the service delivery to them.

When working with Bausch and Lomb, I noticed that good eye-care treatment in tier 2 and 3 cities in India was scarce. The aim was to offer these cities eye-care facilities and treatment equivalent to those in metro cities and at affordable rates. Technology has enabled us to make available our facilities in all such cities via mobility of doctors and machines in various locations so that every region is able to get the expert touch.

Technology is even transforming the service delivery in single specialty hospitals. The introduction of cloud based server in several centres is helping bridge the gap between patients and doctors. There is an ease in access of files and data, and patients are assured of treatment no matter which centre they go to.

The medical technology introduced in the centres complements the existing non-medical facilities to give patients the best treatment. The use of advanced robotic assisted technology for treatment of cataract helped our surgeons deliver predictability and quality in the outcome. This ensured that every one of our patient received safe, accurate and superior treatment.

Conclusively, even analysts are of the opinion that ophthalmology is a single specialty space that will see many path breaking developments. From development of low cost applications, to retinal photography, to surgeons wearing Google Glass to perform surgeries, to other “virtual reality augmentation tools”, the potential this offers is astounding.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETHealthworld.com does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETHealthworld.com shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organisation directly or indirectly.

Rajat is a first generation entrepreneur, graduated from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, having a diverse corporate experience of 16 years.He co-founded Eye-Q, a super speciality eye hospital in 2007 along with a group of leading medical practitioners.Over the years, he and his team has worked passionately in spearheading the expansion of Eye-Q hospitals in Northern India and successfully turned it into a chain of 30 effectively running hospitals.

Rajat is a first generation entrepreneur, graduated from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, having a diverse corporate experience of 16 years.He co-founded Eye-Q, a Show more.. super speciality eye hospital in 2007 along with a group of leading medical practitioners.Over the years, he and his team has worked passionately in spearheading the expansion of Eye-Q hospitals in Northern India and successfully turned it into a chain of 30 effectively running hospitals.